Welcome to the RU-vid channel of beach volleyball Olympian and World Champion (and long-time indoor pro), Sarah Pavan. You can find all things volleyball-related here, including how-to skill videos, drill ideas, strength and conditioning, and more (especially volleyball anime reactions)! Be sure to subscribe to make sure you don't miss out, and if you have anything in particular you would like to see, be sure to let me know in the comments!
24:00 - this was a while back so im sure you guys dont remember (S1E11 if you want the exact episode), but the first time we get a "proper" introduction to ennoshita and the two other third years, ennoshita talks about how the three of them were in the club for fun, but when coach ukai came back it became a club "for the purpose of winning". they were casual players so they left because that wasn't why they were in the club. but they later realized that they did want to continue playing volleyball so they returned to the club.
12:04 - dont worry adam, during my first watch of haikyuu i had no clue who he was either 😭 after rewatching the series you do see how often he comes up before this episode, but something about his presence just makes it feel like he blends into the background. and idk you dont notice his character much unless youre making an effort to remember him lol. though to be fair i was extremely new to anime when i watched haikyuu and i also had a problem remembering character names just like you, so that may have also contributed to me not remembering who he was lol.
Don’t worry about it too much. The mangaka very intentionally made Ennoshita, and sometimes Daichi, blend in. In Manga/Anime, it is very common for main characters or important ones to have eye catching designs or a really distinct voice. Like Hinata’s bright orange hair. It’s how they help the reader/watcher quickly identify who’s who. But for Ennoshita, he’s given a quiet voice, normal facial features and a very average hair cut and colour. And to some extent, Daichi’s design is like that. But he’s definitely given more charisma with a lovely voice and he’s the captain. So trust me, as a long time manga reader/anime watcher, the mangaka deftly kept Ennoshita out of the spotlight while giving him moments that, when highlighted, make you go ‘Oh yeah! He did that!’ It’s for the story and character development! To emphasise the importance of having a solid foundation, although that often goes unnoticed. Haruichi Furudate’s writing is truly what made Haikyuu one of my favourite animes ever.
Vball4life But lets be honest, I'm sure Sarah would also fight to stay on the court regardless of an injury like that too. If anything bench them and first aid that thing. How could you leave your team after something like that? I would stay in too. If I had an injury like sprained ankle or something internal that impairs my movement THEN you sit out.
Okay, you dont give hinata enough credits. Every other player on this anime have been playing volleyball with proper coaches, and other crazy talented volleyball players since middle school or younger. But hinata's school didnt have a volleyball team and the first time he actually started to learn everything from people who know the sport is this year. and he's already in playing nationals. and he's the one carrying the mental strength of this team. he influences everyone he meets, even his opponents get fired up cuz of him, look at kenma, atsumu, hyakuzawa, aone, ushijima, koganegawa, and there's probably more im forgetting. Boy is eating.
The manga author *has* actually been a volleyball player, so it *is* probably is how it goes in japan. or at least during that time, cuz this a was set in past.
I think what they mean is that, since noya is supposed to be the best reciever if they manage to keep breaking him, the whole team's spirit will break slightly over time, adding pressure. that's why they are targetting him, especially since jump floaters are noya's weaknesses cuz he's bad at countering them with overheads. His bad habit is relying too much on underhand digs. And as a libero, he feels like his right to stay on court is only by getting the ball up, so every time he fails, he feels more and more tough on himself.
No, Yaku and Lev were the ones who didn't figure out that kenma was being targetted, and kuroo called out Inouka's name cuz he wanted him to explain to Lev in his stead. Cuz Lev is kinda inexperienced and airheaded lol
That being said, putting kenma on the bench was the worst move for Sarukawa Tech, cuz now he got to sit back and analyse their game from an outside perspective and now it's game over for them.
It's not that they are purposefully not scoring, it's quite hard to score against Nekoma, so they are adding in the strategy of putting the ball in tough places, to throw off more than one person and make them not be able to do an A-pass, cuz kenma is so used to getting such perfect passes that he barely has to take a step, so making kenma move a little more than usual especially with that smal frame of his, will exhaust him. They do score when they can. We just don't get enough clips of that, the score board is pretty even. It's just that they are not *as* in-the-face, violent, as they usually are.
He wouldn’t get more out of Hinata but he wouldn’t need the gimmick of Hinata’s quick to get Karasuno to a higher level. I also think he would still get a good/ok level out of Hinata but just not enough to make him a starter until he improves a lot more in general.
6:14 The moment Daichi’s captain’s mask slips for a second and he asks Asahi to hold things down for him…Asahi’s reply, and Suga and Kiyoko witnessing, had me in tears. Asahi has a kill and an ace immediately after.
This is a bit of a long one: What really hits home for me in this episode is Ennoshita stepping in and "saving" Yamaguchi. Part of the reason Ennoshita left was because he *hates* getting yelled at. Ennoshita had no way of knowing whether Coach Ukai was gonna back down, or if Ukai was gonna redirect that energy towards him in a "And who the hell are you to interrupt me!" kinda way. But he took that risk for his teammate who really just needed a damn break. As he said "He knows. Nobody knows better than him right now." Because hes been there. He's captain material because he loves the game, and he loves those guys. He was the first to help them study when everyone needed help with their grades. He offers kind words and wisdom where he can. He potenitally faked being sick for Yamaguchi's sake just to give him a touch more confidence. And while we didnt see him speak to Dachi...he knows what this match and tournament means to the 3rd years, probably especially Diachi being the captain and being the third year who said "I'm not going anywhere. If the underclassmen asked me to leave...I'd think about it." Ennoshita is and has always done everything in his power to help these guys be there best. And if that means stepping in for Daichi for a bit...he's going to do it. No questions asked. He is absolutely Captain material and has a lovely room in my Bro house 🤣🫶🏾 And SPOILERS FOR ADAM DONT READ: Sarah I'm not sure how far you are into the manga, but I'll just say...pay attention to how the guys are meant to take care of their health, and the potential reprecussions for "pushing through". It comes back 🫠
First is first: I`m very impressed with you! You have the fortitud to wait to see the chapter after that cliffhanger!!!! You are so strong!!! :) The character driven chapters are veeeeery good. And see a little more from someone that he is always there but we did`t see much is like a surprise. About how Ennoshita left, I think it was`nt about the game of the team, it was about Grampa Ukay couching style, that its near bullying. And I think it was good for his mental health to leave when that it`s happening. And he comeback because he really love the sport that the bullying make him question. So, to me, it say more about Grampa Ukai not being a whole couch and not so much about Ennoshita, in my opinion. So, Ennoshita have in him the "athlete soul", but a couch was detrimental to him. Yeah, it`s not for everyone, not everyone have the impulse to want to move their body and compete. I don`t have it!!!! I don`t have the impulse, not have the kinetic intelligence for that. But, I have "the writer soul", since 8 I invent stories and write some of them, I know grammar (spanish grammar, costarican here) the syntasis, and even study how to make a book... It`s not for everyone, but if you have the impulse, you have it.
31:46 I found these story points really interesting and thought provoking too because although all three characters go through similar arcs of running away, we encounter them at different points in their journey. With Asahi, I think we saw a fuller journey when we include his fear of inadequacy at the beginning of S1. With Ennoshita, we see him at the end his journey where, with all his experience and his progress, he’s able to push through his fear and focus on the goal when faced with a second temptation of running away. With Yamaguchi, we see the moment he takes the easy way out and his shame after the fact. Personally, I don’t consider myself to be very mentally strong so seeing these characters go through similar thoughts gives me the confidence to push through when things are rough because like they said, it make seem easier to avoid things in the beginning but it just makes it worse as time goes on.
It was surprising to see Sarah be more empathetic than Adam of Ennoshita this episode. I had to check and see that her original reaction was just as understanding, but this reaction she really nailed the point home that Ukai's training and team environment isn't for everyone.
I think Sarah has been in situations where coaches have been over the top and can empathize with that feeling. This for me was just somewhat normal. I played for a bunch of coaches who yelled a lot. Growing up in sport that was just somewhat normal….. for better or worse. Not my personal style as a coach but a common experience in my generation for sure.
@@adamschulz9475 Of course, I also feel like you've shown that empathy plenty of times throughout this watch through. My impression is that you've given the botd for characters maybe a bit more than Sarah, so I was surprised when that did not extend to Ennoshita. I did not play sports growing up, but I bet that style of coaching is still common today. I think responding with "Yeah, I don't want to be yelled at, deal with the heat, etc. even though I like this sport," is perfectly valid, especially in high school where the aspirations are different as you guys have noted. No judgment on this to be clear btw, love both you guys. Just thought it was an interesting observation.
9:14 Let me explain about Ennoshita’s name. (Someone else might have already written this in the comments…) For a smooth explanation, I’ll write the character’s name in the Japanese order, which is family name first, followed by the given name. The character who appeared in place of Daichi is named Ennoshita Chikara. This name is derived from the Japanese proverb 『縁の下の力持ち』 (en’noshita no chikaramochi). Explaining the proverb “en’noshita no chikaramochi” while retaining its Japanese meaning, it means “a strong person who supports the house from the hidden place under the floor.” * en’noshita: under the floor of a house * chikaramochi: strong person This is similar to the English expressions “unsung hero,” “backseat player,” or “thankless job.” So, it’s perfectly fine if you haven’t paid much attention to Ennoshita Chikara until this episode. The original manga artist intentionally created him as a character representing the “unrecognized backstage contributor.” ----- July 7 (JST) I corrected the explanation of the proverb because it contained a small error. (Translated from Japanese to English by ChatGPT 4o)
The last team sport I played was basketball in elementary school. I loved it. So I tried out for my middle school team in grade 7. The coach at the beginning said 'If you show up to all the practices and try as hard as you can, you'll make the team.' I showed up to all the practices, and tried so hard I lost my last meal at most of them. At the end of tryouts, the kid with talent who showed up to half the practices in jeans was a starter. Me, the shortest kid, and the heaviest kid were taken aside: "You're all on the team. You will *never* play." Not 'you'll need to improve a lot'. Not 'you need to keep trying'. NEVER. So I quit. A bad coach ruined my love of the game. (Turns out he was more than a bad coach, he was a criminal, but I won't go in to details). Wish I had Adam as a coach... I know he would have been like 'Wanna play? Get good. Here's how.' And I would have done it.
This story to me is heartbreaking and I’m sorry you had to go through this. Especially at that age and in school, as a coach you need to make sure the kids are having fun and understand the path to success. This drives me crazy when I hear this. I hope that you were able to find your way back to loving the sport.
Completely agree with Sarah. At the end of the day, this is a high school club, with high school students. Not pros. Some are just there to participate in an activity. I don’t think they should be too harshly judged for quitting especially if things get too competitive. If you are serious however, yeah don’t quit too easily
PSA: if your tooth or teeth get knocked out, get them into milk immediately! If you can drop the teeth into a glass or carton or bottle of milk before 15 minutes are up and the teeth dry up, you'll have bought yourself 30-60 minutes more time to get to an emergency dentist and have them reattach the teeth. That's the optimal thing to do for your long-term oral and dental health.
I love you guys, you are a part of my weekdays and weekends. I am planning to watch everything with yall like we are friends 😭😔🤍 I love your reactions I love how you really focus and care about the story and characters, your thoughts, it’s always fun and satisfying.
Hey Sarah! Would you consider doing a video on volleyball/sports culture in Asia based on your own experience, perhaps making some comparisons with Haikyuu? You’ve been bringing up these experiences while reacting to Haikyuu, and we wanna hear more!
I think it's really important to note the difference in Yamaguchi's two big serve failures here. In the Seijoh game, it's a failure in skill that literally might've costed them the game. Despite Yamaguchi giving everything he's got, it shows he's just not good enough at serving right now, and the team loses almost as a direct result. In this game, it's a failure in courage. Yamaguchi doesn't give everything he's got and deliberately goes easy, but Karasuno wins the set off of it in a way they wouldn't if he'd hit it out of bounds. On paper when looking at the results, the first serve is by far the worse mistake. But as it turns out, that couldn't be further from the truth. The lesson I learned from this episode is this: a failure of skill is ALWAYS better than a failure of courage. Skills are meant to be improved over time; what makes them a skill is nobody is born knowing how to perform them. That's what makes them so impressive, what drives people to pursue them and what makes other stand in awe of them, but that also means you're going to have your share of failures when trying to execute them. If you fail to perform a skill, there's always something practical you can work on to make it work next time, or some way to improve. And that in turn can lead to better performance in the future, or inspire others who recognize the courage it takes to take that inevitable risk of failure that comes with any difficult challenge. A failure in courage however is the opposite: if you don't step up and try, you can't learn anything because you will never know how you could have performed. More than that, it will never inspire anyone (especially not your future self), as running away from a challenge always feels worse than facing it head on regardless of the results. Even if you win regardless, even if nobody else realizes, YOU will always know you ran away. Yamaguchi as a character is someone I've always felt a kinship with: as a child I hated competition, was terrified of making mistakes and generally hedged my bets when put to the test to avoid failure. It wasn't until a lot later in life that I realized how many great opportunities and experiences had passed me by as a result; I realized my desire to avoid challenges wasn't born out of intelligence or laziness, but simple cowardice. It was the source of most of my self esteem issues as a kid. If you try and take on a difficult challenge, but give your best and still fail, that's is a hard road to hoe. But don't doubt yourself, because the courage it takes to do so is something you CAN and SHOULD be proud of. That's not to say that running away or giving up are never the right option; life is a hard and rarely fair. But you'll always feel better about the shot you went for and missed by a hair than the shot you didn't take.
I love the storytelling in this episode. We get the second years saying Ennoshita would make a good captain because he understands the feelings of people who are ride or die, and the people who run away when push comes to shove. We see Ennoshita ride or dying in this match, and we also see him defending Yamaguchi to Ukai for running away, because he empathises with both sides. He's literally been there, done that-- he nearly gave up something that made him happy because it was hard, and he learned that it was harder to give it all up. He is the one guy who can understand Yamaguchi, and probably cheers on Yamaguchi the most on that court.
